Avery Barrel-Aged Series 3 - Black Tot

Formerly brewed at Avery Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Boulder, Colorado USA

Serve in Snifter

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Bottled January 2010; Sampled February 2010
A solid pour into my large Tripel Karmeliet tulip glass produces a fat-two-finger thick, lightly brown stained, dark tan colored head. The beer is a rich black hue that has touches dark chocolate brown. When held up to the light the beer is still quite opaque, but does show a rich, red / amber glow. Rich aromas of toasted whole grain, bitter dark cocao, lightly burnt whole grain bread, coffee with cream, some burnt grain acidity and on the sweeter side notes of coffee liquor, maybe a touch of molasses and mocha coffee. After a bit I am realizing that the toastiness and much of a light spiciness as well as the sharpness are actually being contributed by oak. As the beer warms soft floral notes of vanilla become noticeable. The aroma is interesting and complex, but somehow doesn’t seem as interesting and integrated as I would like.

Somewhat viscous feeling as it hits the palate, but it actually seems a bit on the light side for a beer of this strength. The beer has a light, mocha like sweetness to it up front, but finishes with a tartness that seems contributed by the Rum barrel and also a bit from the roasted grain contribution. The tartness brings out an almost grappa like fruitiness to the finish, though without an overly harsh alcoholic bite that this would usually imply. The most dominant flavor here is definitely the roasted grain; espresso, and only a hint of burnt grain husks. A flavor of toasted coconut lightly scents the flavor as does a light oaky spiciness that mixes in with a touch of warming alcohol. A touch of astringent, burnt vegetal notes mars the finish just a bit, but is fairly restrained overall. And it can also be a bit acrid and burntly acidic in the finish at times. A bright, plum like fruitiness can be found here after digging around for a while.

An interesting beer, but I can’t really say that this is as enjoyable as I would like it to be. This is certainly drinkable and is even enjoyable enough to finish, but I think that the body is a bit thinner than it should be as it needs a bit of a richer malt base to stand up to the alcohol, the rum barrel and the roasted malt. I will say that this beer definitely needs to be allowed to warm up in order for it to seem a bit more integrated and balanced.

Bottle. Pours black with a brown head that dissipates at the edges. Aroma has a good amount dark grains with backing tart fruits and rum. Flavor has a good amount of roast up front with a sour deep red fruit with a hint of rum.

Appearance: Pours out an opaque, dark brown body with a very thin, khaki-colored head.

Smell: A malty nose with notes of nutty, crunchy oats, semi-sweet chocolate, light coffee-scented roasted malts, and a flutter of booze, though not particularly rum based, and a touch of dark fruits.

Taste: A stronger, more pronounced chocolate taste than implied by the aroma, like a cupcake frosting. Sound sweetness. A spoon of oatmeal with a little bitty splash of rum stirred in. Moist prunes. Some earthy touches, with a hint of bitterness. Hint of whole black peppercorn. Dry, warming, choco-roasty finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-low carbonation. Some smooth slickness on the tongue.

Overall: Good, not great. Bare in mind these were from some old, old notes. So, either this bottle dodged the sour bullet or I caught it before the "Tot Taint", as I hear it’s called, took hold. Either way, it was good enough, though I didn’t get much rum-character out of it at the time.

12oz bottle, $10 at Jackie-Os brewpub, served in a snifter. Bottled 1/15/10. Little brown head, fading to minimal. Black color, little lace. Strong rum-barrel aroma, but it’s not over-the-top. In fact, it complements the roasty oaty stoutiness nicely, which still manages to come through. Chocolate slowly reveals itself as this brew sits for a bit. Smoky wood presence, which I’m enjoying (others might not). Light, crisp carbonation. Bigger body. Kind of sweet taste, little bitter, with good rum warmth. Smooth texture. An excellent and aromatic long-term sipper. Took me a while to finish, but with the super-long aftertaste dragging out the flavors, it held my attention and remained interesting all the way through.

Bottle pours black with a beige head. Aroma is sweet and malty with notes of roast, caramel, vanilla, oak, espresso, and vinous fruit. Flavor has a definite rum presence with additional notes of brown sugar and blackstrap. Overall body is moderate to full, slick, and finishes with a nice sweet/sour contrast like a balsamic. Damn good stuff, and glad I had the opportunity to try it.

Date: May 08, 2010
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Simpson Satisifier
Appearance: dark brown, wispy tan head, streaks of lace
Aroma: roasted aroma, light smokeyness, touch of spicyness, dark chocolate
Flavor: sweet chocolate flavor, touch of roasted, rum sweetness
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+ /4

Traded bottle somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 years old...I think. Very nice looking pour: pitch black with a medium, foamy brown head. Pretty big aroma that makes me think of a quad, soaked with rum. Wow, the taste takes a bit of a left turn: adds in some sour notes; on purpose? That sourness kinda ruins it for me because it’s completely unbalanced. *Reading the ratings over the years it looks like some lacto sourness has changed this beer over time*

bottle. Pours a dark brwon with a thick brown head that diminishes quickly. The aroma is chocolate and oatmeal. Thin mouthfeel with a acidic taste and funky flavor. Not much going on with this one.

(12oz bottle courtesy of mike). Pours a dark brown with thin khaki head. Aroma has oak, vanilla and chocolate. Taste is vanilla, lacto sour and some vanilla. Medium bodied with slick texture. Nice beer

12oz bottle. Big thanks to Dosbeerigos for sharing this one. The color and pour was extremely dark and thick. Had a thin brown head with a good amount of lacing. Aroma was dominated by chocolate and boozy rum. Flavor was boozy, chocolately, and a tad sour. Possibly a little bit infected. Regardless though it was a treat.

Bottle:   Never have I smelled so tart/sour for an Imperial Oatmeal Stout.   Black, deep brown edges, little lacing or head.   Interesting mix of deep roasted malts, sweetish oatmeal, based on a tart and slightly fruity backdrop.   It actually makes this one not as heavy for an Imperial Stout, and likely more palatable.   Very slight mustiness on the backside, some basement funk. Body and mouthfeel are moderate, not realy heavy.   Just seems like a sourish Imperial Stout.   A little bit of the Rum appears on the finish.   Not the best of aromas or flavor, but it all works rather well.